The National Citizen Party and four leftist parties yesterday reiterated that they will not sign the July Charter unless the National Consensus Commission meets their respective demands.

The NCP has three demands -- resolving the notes of dissent through a referendum and sharing the full texts of the charter's implementation process and the draft referendum order before submission to the government.

"Our demands are clear. If these three issues are not addressed, we will not sign," NCP Joint Convener Javed Rasin told The Daily Star yesterday, adding that the party is preparing an amended proposal to submit to the commission.

In response, a member of the commission's legal experts' team, requesting anonymity, said the notes of dissent would be included in the referendum. The proposed question is likely to be: "Do you support the agreed-upon proposals [including notes of dissent] related to the constitution that have emerged from the National Consensus Commission?"

The dual role of the next parliament will also be part of the referendum, he added.

The official said the commission expects to finalise most issues at a meeting today and submit the complete implementation process by tomorrow. However, he noted that the draft texts cannot be shared with a single party in advance, as that would require extending the same to all political groups.

Asked, Rasin said the NCP will not change its decision unless all three of its demands are met.

A commission source, seeking anonymity, said the NCP's position now seems to be a ploy to delay the process.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Socialist Party of Bangladesh (BSD), BSD (Marxist), and Bangladesh Jasad said they will not be part of the charter unless the four state principles — nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism — are retained in the constitution's preamble.

"We cannot compromise on the four founding principles of the country," CPB General Secretary Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan told The Daily Star.

Commission member Prof Ali Riaz said one of the key demands of these parties has already been addressed by retaining the Declaration of Independence in the constitution. "We have discussed their concerns, but they remain adamant. It's not possible to accommodate every demand," he said.